MITRE ATT&CKtechnique

T1556 Modify Authentication Process

Published 2020-02-11 Modified 2026-05-12 Official page ↗

Domain: enterprise
Tactics: Defense Impairment, Persistence, Credential Access
Platforms: IaaS, Identity Provider, Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Office Suite, SaaS, Windows
Version: 3.0
Created: 2020-02-11

Description

Adversaries may modify authentication mechanisms and processes to access user credentials or enable otherwise unwarranted access to accounts. The authentication process is handled by mechanisms, such as the Local Security Authentication Server (LSASS) process and the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) on Windows, pluggable authentication modules (PAM) on Unix-based systems, and authorization plugins on MacOS systems, responsible for gathering, storing, and validating credentials. By modifying an authentication process, an adversary may be able to authenticate to a service or system without using Valid Accounts. Adversaries may maliciously modify a part of this process to either reveal credentials or bypass authentication mechanisms. Compromised credentials or access may be used to bypass access controls placed on various resources on systems within the network and may even be used for persistent access to remote systems and externally available services, such as VPNs, Outlook Web Access and remote desktop.

Tactic · MITRE ATT&CK (3)

TA0112 Defense Impairment tactic
TA0003 Persistence tactic
TA0006 Credential Access tactic

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · mitigates (9)

M1047 Audit mitigation
M1032 Multi-factor Authentication mitigation
M1018 User Account Management mitigation
M1022 Restrict File and Directory Permissions mitigation
M1024 Restrict Registry Permissions mitigation
M1025 Privileged Process Integrity mitigation
M1026 Privileged Account Management mitigation
M1027 Password Policies mitigation
M1028 Operating System Configuration mitigation

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · subtechnique of (9)

T1556.009 Conditional Access Policies sub-technique
T1556.008 Network Provider DLL sub-technique
T1556.007 Hybrid Identity sub-technique
T1556.006 Multi-Factor Authentication sub-technique
T1556.005 Reversible Encryption sub-technique
T1556.004 Network Device Authentication sub-technique
T1556.003 Pluggable Authentication Modules sub-technique
T1556.001 Domain Controller Authentication sub-technique
T1556.002 Password Filter DLL sub-technique

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · uses (7)

S9013 DRYHOOK software (malware)
G1045 Salt Typhoon group
C0046 ArcaneDoor campaign
G1016 FIN13 group
S0692 SILENTTRINITY software (tool)
S0487 Kessel software (malware)
S0377 Ebury software (malware)

Referenced by CAPEC · att&ck technique (1)

CAPEC-665 Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws attack pattern

Referenced by Compliance · mitigates (19)

CIS-6.5 Require MFA for Administrative Access CIS Safeguard v8.1
CIS-6.8 Define and Maintain Role-Based Access Control CIS Safeguard v8.1
NIST-AC-2 Account Management NIST 800-53 control
NIST-AC-20 Use of External Systems NIST 800-53 control
NIST-AC-3 Access Enforcement NIST 800-53 control
NIST-AC-5 Separation of Duties NIST 800-53 control
NIST-AC-6 Least Privilege NIST 800-53 control
NIST-AC-7 Unsuccessful Logon Attempts NIST 800-53 control
NIST-CA-7 Continuous Monitoring NIST 800-53 control
NIST-CM-2 Baseline Configuration NIST 800-53 control
NIST-CM-5 Access Restrictions for Change NIST 800-53 control
NIST-CM-6 Configuration Settings NIST 800-53 control
NIST-CM-7 Least Functionality NIST 800-53 control
NIST-IA-13 Identity Providers and Authorization Servers NIST 800-53 control
NIST-IA-2 Identification and Authentication (Organizational Users) NIST 800-53 control
NIST-IA-5 Authenticator Management NIST 800-53 control
NIST-SC-39 Process Isolation NIST 800-53 control
NIST-SI-4 System Monitoring NIST 800-53 control
NIST-SI-7 Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity NIST 800-53 control